Taliban Militants Claim Shooting down US Chopper in Southern Afghanistan

Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the downing of a military helicopter belonging to the US forces in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand.

The militant group said the helicopter went down in the Shawal Manda area of Nad Ali district in Helmand, the Kabul-based Watan Press newspaper reported.

Militant sources said all the American troops on board the chopper were killed.

However, the US army has reportedly denied reports that Taliban downed its copter in Afghanistan.

US media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that initial reports indicate a Resolute Support helicopter had made hard landing in Helmand, with no reports of casualties.

The US military source added that an investigation is underway into the incident.

Taliban militants have increased their acts of violence against Afghan forces and US-led forces.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has recently predicted a tough year ahead for Afghanistan as the Kabul government continues battling the Taliban and other militant groups across the war-torn country.

He said on March 16 during a visit to Kabul that the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists will keep up their attacks across Afghanistan throughout 2016 as they try to assert their presence, Press TV reported.